The "Old Dresser" Makeover Project

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So, one of my goals for 2013 is to get my house ORGANIZED. Not just tidy, in order, or labeled... I mean, throw out what isn't being used (um.. I mean, give away or sell), pin-pointing the things we ARE using and figuring out a better way of organizing those items to make our life easier. I also wanted to follow along with some bloggers who are doing the same.

This project is for New Year's Organizing Revolution Blog Series, 

Week 2 - The Kitchen. 

So, here we go.

Pinterest Idea

I saw this lovely creation on Pinterest several months ago and fell in love with the idea. We had a kitchen island already, but, it had a cabinet below and not drawers. I knew we had an old dresser in our storage room that was my husbands while he was growing up, solid wood, and four drawers. It would be perfect for this project. So glad I didn't pitch it or give it away in our last garage sale!

Our Old Dresser

Before I started painting and adding accessories, I wanted to make sure that each drawer would be organized to the max with items that just didn't fit in our main kitchen cabinets and drawers. These items included:

Drawer 1 - Cutlery & Sharp tools

With our little boy learning to be more independent every day, I wanted to keep our knifes and sharp Kitchen tools away from our every day utensils  He just loves to help himself and get his own spoons and forks for his meals, so, I wanted to provide him free access to those items and store our cutlery in a place that he wouldn't be getting into daily. The top drawer of this island would be perfect. I started to organize the tools by type and by use and weeded out extras and unused items. And later found trays that would keep them sorted.

Drawer 2 - Paper, Wraps, & Bags (oh! And clips too)

This, is by far, my favorite drawer... I was so excited to finally have a place to store these items together. Before, the freezer paper box was so long, it didn't fit in our regular kitchen drawers, so, it lived in the pantry. our foil and cling wrap was crammed in a drawer with our zip lock bags, along with dish scrubbing tools, rubber jar openers, and other random kitchen things that didn't have a home. Now, they all live together... happily ever after... so to say. And you see that little square opening? yes... I found a little box and have now stored our chip clips there. Perfect.

Drawer 3 - The odd pans out

I've always had a love-hate relationship with these guys... You have to have them... but... where do you keep them? They've moved all over my kitchen as I tried to find permanent places for them to live... but.. they always created drama for the nice flat cookie sheets. Not any more. Can you believe that I have a total of 16 pans in this drawer?!?! It's a beautiful thing. I also plan to install rubber shelf sheets in the bottom of this drawer, that way, they don't slide around and make a lot of noise. Oh... you odd pans... always creating a ruckus.

Drawer 4 - Party Supplies

Last, but certainly not least, the extra party supplies... and by the looks of this drawer... we are party animals... well, not really. The problem is, the extra napkins, plastic forks and spoons, and bright color bowls  after a party, seem to disappear. they get tucked away somewhere, only to show their face again, after I just purchased a new packet of them.. because I couldn't find the leftovers. LOL. Well, I now have a go to place to look for supplies before heading to the party store for our next big event. I also have to share that my son has grown to LOVE stacking cups... he now has easy access to the plastic cups and can pull them out whenever his heart desires.

Now that I knew exactly how the inside was going to be used, it was time to add accessories to the outside.

I found a bamboo paper towel holder that fit just right. YES! This meant I would now free my counter top of paper towels! I also found some small hooks for the other side that could hold items we use on a daily basis.. more of that after we talk about paint. I decided to paint the cabinet the same color of my Kitchen walls... a soft creamy yellow. I also wanted to dress it up a little and paint a faint design on the front of the dresser drawers.

Painting and making it pretty:

I primed and painted the whole dresser and as I waited for the dresser body to dry, I used a stencil from Martha Stewart and rolled a pretty design on the drawer fronts. I didn't wanted it to be subtle, so, I just added a small amount of creamy white acrylic paint to the yellow paint and mixed it together as I rolled over the stencil. Some areas of the design are whiter than others and I love it. I found some beautiful colored ceramic knobs at Hobby Lobby to decorate the drawers. Nice touch... don't you think?

Now that the body of the dresser was dry, I added hooks to hang the items we use daily for easy access. They also add that final touch that says "I'm no longer an old dresser! I'm now a fabulous and functional kitchen beauty!" :) At this point I think.. if this dresser could smile... it would have. Now, it was time for the finishing touch that would make this the best piece of kitchen furniture a mom could ask for... a chalk board for the toddler. The back side of the dresser was the perfect spot too, as, it was nice a flat and could be pushed up against a wall when not in use. I plan to finish it up with a little trim around the edges and a chalk tray at the bottom. But my little man couldn't wait to start using it. :) Happy toddler, happy mom.

Finishing touches

Well, I have a feeling I'll be tweaking this dresser every so often, as with life, everything changes. We still want to attach wheels to make it mobile and I would LOVE to find a beautiful piece of granite for the top... I'm glad I was able to get this far in one weekend. Hope this project is an inspiration to you too!

Happy Organizing!